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Divljana Monastery

Serbian Orthodox monastery in Serbia

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 28, 2026
Entity authorityQ16087411
Source-derived summary

Divljana Monastery, also known as the Monastery of St. Demetrius, is a Serbian Orthodox monastery located near the village of Divljana and Divljana Lake, 5 km (3.1 mi) south of Bela Palanka, in the foothills of Suva Planina, 450 m (1,480 ft) above sea level. It is dedicated to St. Demetrius, who is celebrated on 8 November. The monastery was first built in 394 at this location, which became the property of the Mrnjavčević brothers at the end of the 13th century after the destruction of the monastery. In the monastery complex, there are records of ancient burials from the 4th century, some of which can be seen two of the capitals. Around 880, with the revival of Christianization, there were also new eparchies. Based on physical evidence and the Charter of the Byzantine emperor Basil II, archaeologists believe that the site also included an early Christian building from the 9th century related to a renewal of church life in Middle Ponišavlje.

Geography

The monastery is located 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of Bela Palanka, not far from the ancient road to Skopje and Thessaloniki. Situated 450 metres (1,480 ft) above sea level in the foothills of the south-eastern part of Suva Planina, there are wooded slopes around the monastery, offering a unique view of the Svrljig Mountains and Šljivovački vrh.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Divljana Monastery” is serbian Orthodox monastery in Serbia. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Divljana, Monastery and Serbian, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewMost useful as a place-based finding aid connecting the present description to earlier jurisdictions, maps and built evidence. The current 221-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1301-01-17. For this dossier, Divljana, Monastery and Serbian is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “serbian Orthodox monastery in Serbia” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q16087411. Authority coordinates are 43.186, 22.293. None of the 2 selected statements returned an explicit reference.

Critical limits

A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Divljana Monastery”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Divljana Monastery primary sources, Divljana Monastery archive and Divljana research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Divljana Monastery”?
  2. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
  3. Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Subject index

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Divljana Monastery” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.